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By the ti mess The reference clerk who holds the keys to the lactation rooerly hands it over, careful not toas I arrive "All yours," she says cheerfully

"Thanks," is my dour response

She catches the door as I start inside "Bad day, huh?"

Her voice is so kind and understanding, I nearly break down "You have no idea," I answer, but then realize she, of all people, probably does have an idea "Or maybe you do But yeah, it’s been a shit day"

"Hold on a sec" She digs around in her bag "Here" She hands e "I actually have a second set and I’ve never used the the petal-shaped silicon pads

"You stick the"

"Seriously?" I gape at her

"Yep They’re not perfect, and if you wait too long, the milk will eventually wear the adhesion off, but they do work"

I clench the package tight in ht off the tears again "I would hug you right now if I wasn’t all gross But thank you so old lettering on the spine sticking out of her bag "1L?" I ask

"Third year, actually I was hoping to wait until I was done with school before this all happened" She waves her hand at the insulated lunch bag she’s carrying Her riets easier after the first one And the first one is really just a war of attrition" She pats me on the back "You’ll be fine"

I slip inside and attach et to Widener Library froine is here, which means I only need to carryfor the cost of an expensive portable pu fro that my textbooks did to it

I undo rossed out, but I’iven that it takes twenty minutes for the stupid machine to pull out two ounces of food fro in the chair, I pull out ed me, but I skip those and tap on Tucker’s name

Tucker: Went over to see J over lunch

Underneath thein the crook of his ars--which I figured was dead fro dad

Tucker iddy dance

Me: She’s such an angel

Tucker: I hate leaving her

Me: I leaked breast

Tucker: A Poor baby I’ll coes to read and that’s not even an exaggeration

Tucker: I’ll take care of J U study

Me: I’ll take u up on that

Tucker: Good U never let h

Because I don’t want to drive you away